Convalescing from religion
2 min readSep 2, 2021
This is a series of stories from my experience as an Eastern Orthodox Christian. The voluntary part of this experience lasted 23 years. To that I would add about 10 of my childhood years, when I simply copied what the people around me believed and did.
There are the introduction and four chapters so far (another one or two will follow):
- A priest comes (How to make a teenager believe in miracles on demand): A short episode from my adolescence that serves to illustrate this series’ theme.
- Santa Claus isn’t real, but let me tell you about Heaven (It is a bad idea to blur the line between real and imaginary in your child’s mind): How my supernatural beliefs came to be during my childhood.
- Happy for the wrong reason (My first years as a Christian were a happy sleep of reason): My conversion to Christianity at age 17.
- Religion is very rational until you understand what “rational” means (I did not fully understand how science works until after I was 35, and Christianity offered to fill the gaps): My life as a Christian student at MIT.
- The treasure in heaven has bigger issues than moths and vermin (The practical side of faith distracts from its truth value): The Christian side of my life in California.
I wrote this introductory note in response to the somewhat surprising influx of followers in the past few days. I hope it clarifies the purpose and logical structure of the other articles.
